Manchester United began the Premier League season with a 2-0 defeat to Hull City on Saturday, a result that has dampened optimism among supporters. The loss marked the first time the Reds have been beaten by a newly-promoted side on the opening day of a league campaign.
New signings and Champions League return
Despite the setback, the club has been active in the transfer market. Carlos Baleba became the latest arrival, joining for £65m plus £5m in add-ons on Tuesday. He follows fellow midfield signings Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, while free agent Karl Darlow and promising youngsters, including Tynan Thompson, have also been brought in.
United are preparing for a return to the Champions League this season, a competition that adds at least eight extra fixtures to the calendar.
Fan poll results
After the Hull loss, MEN Sport asked readers: "Where do you think Manchester United will finish in the league this season after dreadful defeat to Hull?" At the time of writing, 9,713 responses had been received, with the majority (36 per cent) predicting a finish of '5th or lower'. A more optimistic 21 per cent voted for United to finish as 'Champions'.
Meanwhile, '4th' received 16 per cent of the vote, while '3rd' picked up 14 per cent. The least popular answer was '2nd' with just 13 per cent of votes.
Baleba unavailable for Ipswich match
United fans will hope Baleba can improve their team, but he is not available to make his debut on Sunday against Ipswich Town.
